Shoe-sewing machine.



' 711i zrzessea E. J. RAY.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2,1911.

1,114,287; I Patented 0ct.20,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

jizvezzzaf E. J. RAY.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1911. I 1,114,281 Patented 0ct.20,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

| I 17 l" 4: i

T Q I lnwraibr E. J. RAY.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE. APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 2, 1911.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Inwnfar K 7lf'v'zrzecsses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE J'. RAY, BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG'NOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, NEW JERSEY.

Specificatioh of Letters Patent.

015 PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF SHOE-SEWING MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

Application filed June 2,. 1911. Serial No. 630,870.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE J. RAY, -c1t1- zen of the United States, residing at-Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new Kay sewing machines, which comprise a straight hooked needle and devices coiipcrating therewith to form a chain stitch,

- and in which the shoe is supported, during the sewing operation, upon a horn which extends inside of the shoe. In this type of sewing machine the needle is usually threaded by a whirl mounted in the work supporting horn, and it is necessary that the needle remain stationary after its polnt has entered the horn until its hook is threaded by the whirl andsince thicker work necessitates a greater'length of thread in the part of the stitch passing through the work, a variable stroke must be imparted to the needle to draw up a loop of thread varying in length with the thickness of the work. The work is engaged between two work en gaging members, the horn and a presser foot coiiperating therewith, one of wlnch is made movable to accommodate for the varying thicknesses of work, and to insure the proper cooperation of the needle threading mechanism the limit of the needle stroke in thedirection of the stationary work engaging member must be fixed, while the hunt of the stroke of the needle in the direction of the movable work engaging member mustbe varied in accordance with the position which the thickness of the work causes the movable work engaging memberto assume. The needle must therefore have imparted to it a movement which shall have a dwell while the needle hook is being threaded, and which shall have a limit in one direction varying with the varying thicknesses of the work being sewn. In the commercial type of McKay sewing machine as now usually constructed, such a movement is imparted to the needle by a needle actuating mechanism having a certain amount of lost motion beof the motion parts and an vide for the dwell in the tween two limiting stops. The dwell of the" needle While it is being threaded is caused by the lost motion and the variable movement ofthe needle is caused by having one of the llmitlng stops under the control of the movable work engaging member so that the limit of the needle stroke when this stop is engaged shall be varied according to the thickness of the work. Such a mechanism has certain disadvantages. To hold the nec- Idle at the'limit ofits stroke to give the necessary dwe1l,.fr1ct1onal devices must be-cmployed, causing an inevitable loss of power, and the lost motion causes a jerky action excessive pound ing-..-up0 n the stops, especially if the machine be run at a comparatively high rate of speed. It has also been proposed to pro need-le motion by actuating the needle mechanism by means of a cam rolle'r running in a cam slot having a dwell formed therein, and to provide for the variable movement of the needle by placing in the link-work or chain of mechanism' which transmits the power from the cam to the needle, a slotted member and a pin about which the slotted member turns, the position of the pin in the slot. being varied by the movable work engaging member to change the leverage of said member. Such mechanism has the disadvantages that the cam slot and roller are not as good as a crank motion, and that the use of a pin-andslot connection for imparting the variable movement necessitates both a pivoting and a sliding movement of the slotted member in relation to the pin,'which causes a, double amount of wear on these parts, andit is impossible to thereby secure as good or as positive a mechanical linkage, especially when the parts have become somewhat worn, as when journaled bearings are employed.

An object of the present inventionis to provide an improved mechanism for imparting to the needle a movement having a dwell while the needle hook is being threaded. I The present invention in its broader aspects contemplates the attainment of this object by an arrangement of pivoted points or bearings which shall obviate the employment of cams or lost motion in theparts.

Apreferred-form of construction for causing the dwell 1n the needle movement consists in a chain of mechanism for transmitting power ,to the needle which comprises certain pivotal points so situated therein and having their relative movements so imed that at least one of these points shall have a movement approximately at right angles to the direction in which it transmits its effective motion to actuate the needle so that no motion, or, at most, a very minute amount of motion, shall be transmitted to the needle during, the time when it is de sired that the dwell shall occur.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism controlled by the thickness of the work for imparting a variable movement to the needle. To impart such variable stroke to the needle, the present invention contemplates the provision of a needle actuating mechanism comprising a series of relatively movable parts and a connection from said mechanism to the work support or presser foot whereby a variation in the thickness of the work being operated upon will adjust said mechanism so as to change the angular relation of the paths of movement of certain of the parts, such change in the angular relation of the paths of movement causing more or less of the movement of one part to be transmitted to another part and thereby causing a variation in the needle stroke. In the preferred form of construction embodying this feature .of the invention, the relatively movable parts of the needle actuating mechanism are pivotally connected and the adjustment of themechanism upon a variationin the thickness of the work being operated upon produces a change in the relative paths of movement of the pivotal connections of the parts.

In the illustrated preferredembodiment of the invention themeans for causing the dwell in the needle movement and the means for causing the movement of the needle to be variable, are shown as forming cooperating elements of the mechanism which transmits the power from the driving shaft of the machine to the needle bar, but the present invention contemplates within its scope the employment of either of said means separately or in other combinations than that illustrated.

To prevent the needle hook from catching in the loop of the previously formed'stitch the loop of when it is retracted through the work, it is usual to provide for the needle a cast-ofi which covers the needle hook as the needle is withdrawn from the work, and which is drawn back to expose the hook of the needle when the needle enters the work. This castoff is moved with relation to the needle to perform its function and it is usual to pro-v vide yieldable means for pressing the castoif against the surface of the work to hold the previous stitch away from the needle, and said yieldable means allows the cast-ofl' to adjust itself for varying thicknesses of work. It is found, however, that when the cast-01f is pressed against the surface of the work its end will in time become roughened or bent by coming in contact with tacks which are left in the work, and also that when soft work is being sewn the castoff will be pushed down alongside of the needle, unnecessarily enlarging the mouth of the hole in the work punctured by the needle and wedging over and stretching out the loop of the preceding stitch which lies on the surface of the work.

Another object of the present'invention is to provide means to limit the lnovement of the cast-01f toward the work, so that, although it shall hold the loop of the preceding stitch from being caught by the hook of the needle, it will be kept from being pressed against or into the work.

With this object in View the present in-. vention comprises the improved cast-oft mechanism hereinafter described, as particularly pointed out in the claims.

The present tain other new and useful combinations and arrangements of parts which are hereinafter described in the specification and defined in the claims, and the advantages of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The present invention is illustrated as embodied in the type of shoe sewing machine described with substantial accuracy in the patent to Richardson No. 710,612, October 7th, 1902, upon which it is primarily intended as an improvement, but it is to be understood that the present invention is equally applicable to other types of sewing machines, and may be otherwise embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings: Figure l is a front elevation of the head of the machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the head of the machine showing as much of the mechanism as is essential to the present invention; Fig. 1

3 is a diagrammatic view of the front of the machine head illustrating the needle in its lowermost position, the position of the presser foot and mechanism actuated thereby being indicated in dotted lines for thick work; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the needle in its raised position.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the work supporting horn, and 2 the movable presser foot cooperating therewith. The presser foot is secured at the lower end of a presser bar 3 which is slidably mounted upon the head of the machine. The upper end of the presser bar is provided with a slot 4 in which is engaged a stud 5 fixed to the frame of the machine, and which regulates the downward limit of the presser foot when no work is in the machine, by its engagement with an adjustable pin 6 projecting into the slot from the upper end of the presser bar; The presser foot is raised from the work by a block 7 which is engaged in a lateral recess 8 formed in the side of the presser bar. The block 7 is pivotally. secured at the end of a lever 9 on the forward end of a rock shaft 10 which is loosely mounted to rotate in the machine frame. The rock shaft 10 is normally turned by an adjustable springll to hold the presser foot downwardly. Upon the rear end of the rock shaft 10 is secured a lever arm 12 which carries upon its outer end a segmental plate 13. The plate 13 1s arranged to be clamped against the side of a lever 14 by means of a clamping arm 15 which is bored to loosely receive a pin 16 projecting from the lever 14 whose enlarged head 17 acts as a fulcrum for the clamping arm 15. The lower end of the arm 15 bears a pin 18 which slides freely through ahole bored in the lever 14 and whose outer end is engaged by a lever 19. The lever 19 is pivoted to the frame and is oscillated by a cam roll 20 running against a cam surface cut on the side of the cam wheel 21 carried upon the shaft 22 of the machine. The cam-actuated lever l9 thus serves to lock the segmental plate 13 against the lever 14 which is oscillated by a cam roll 23 actuated by a cam wheel 24 to raise the presser foot. The presser foot is, also adapted to be raised for the insertion or removal of the, work by the engagement under the arm 9 of a treadle operated lever 25. The construction and mode of operation of the above mentioned mechanisrn for raising and locking the presser foot is substantially the same as that described in the patent to. Richardson, and further description thereof is deemed unnecessary here, it being suflicient to state that, when the needle is being raised, the presser foot is locked and liftedslightly to raise the work from the horn to allow the stitch to be drawn between the work and the a horn, and after the stitch has been set and the work fed, the'presser foot is released and is free to adjust itself against the work under the action of the spring 11 in. preparation for the next stitch formin operation.

'The work is fed by means 0 an awl 26 carried by an awl holder 27 which ispivotally secured at 28 to a plate 29 which is slidably secured to the back of the presser bar. The upper end of the plate 29 is bifurcated to receive a headed pin 30 projecting rearwardly from the presser bar, and the lower end of the plate 29 is slotted to receive, a headed pin31 projecting rearwardly from the presser bar. The awl holder 27 is free to turn about the pivot 28 during the reverse lateral movement of the awl, but is held from turning during the lateral feeding movement of the awl bya rearwardly projecting pin 32 which is engaged by a stop shoulder 33 on the edge of the plate 29. A

spring 34 normally holds the pin 32 against the stop shoulder and also tends to draw the plate 29 to the right to hold the awl in a retracted position. The feeding movement is imparted to the awl by a link 35 which is pivoted at 28 to the plate 29, and whose other end is pivotally secured at 36 to a downwardly extending lever arm 37.. The lever arm 37 is secured to the forward end of a rock shaft 38 upon whose rear end is secured a lever arm 39 which bears a cam roll 40 engaging against the face of a cam wheel 41. The rock shaft 38 is normally turned by an adjustable spring 42 to hold the cam roll 40 against the cam wheel and to hold the awl 26 in its retracted position. The cam wheel 41 positively oscillates the rock shaft 38 and draws the sliding plate 29 positively downwardly and to the left to cause the awl 26 to feed the work. The above described awl feed is the substantial equivalent in structure and mode of operation of that disclosed in the Richardson patent.

The thread is drawn through the work and set in a chain stitch by a straight needle '43 whose hook is threaded by. a suitable thread handling mechanism in the horn 1. The needle 43 is secured to the lower end of the needle bar 44 which is mounted to freely slide in the machine frame. The needle bar has clamped thereto a collar 45 to which is pivotally secured at 46 a link 47 whose other end is pivotally secured at 48 to one. end of a lever 49 whose oscillation reciprocates the needle. The other end of the lever .49 is pivoted at 50 to one end of a link 51, the

the lever 49. The other end of the link 51 is pivotally secured at 52 to one arm of a bell crank lever 53 which is fulcrumed at 54 by a pivot pin 55 journaled in a bracket 56 projecting laterally from the machine frame. The other end of the bell crank lever 53 is pivotally secured at 57 to the lower end of a link 58 whose upper end is pivotally secured at 59 to a pin projecting from the presser bar 3. It will be evident from the above description that the position of the pivot point 52 about the fulcrum 54 will be dependent upon the position of the presser foot. The .pin which forms the pivot point 59 is rigidly clamped in a slot 59 in the presser bar 3 which provides for its longitudinal adjustment thereon to propa reciprocation of the link 62 which receives its reciprocatory motion from the oscillation of a straight lever 65, to one end of which the upper end of the link 62 is pivotally se- 5 cured at 66. The lever 65 has a swinging fulcrum 67 where it'is pivotally secured to the lower end of a link 68 whose upper end is pivotally connected at 69 to a bracket 70 formed upon the machine frame. The other end of the lever 65 is pivotally secured to a crank pin 71 projecting from a late 72 carried upon the forward end of t e shaft 22. The power applied by the crank pin 71 will turn the lever 65 about its fulcrum and com- 5 municate the power through the link 62, which will move the-pivot point 60 about the center 63. The motion of the point 60 will oscillate the lever 49 about its swinging fulcrum 50 and will impart a positive movement to the needle bar. It will be noticed that in the above described link-work which transmits the motion from the driving-shaft to the needle, all of the connecting points are formed with journaled bearings, that no 5 sliding connections are employed, and that the entire motion is positive.

The desired dwell in the needle motion is secured by an arrangement of the centers 66, 67 and crank pin 71 with relation to each other and to the centers and 69, and the axis of the machine shaft 22. The crank pin 71 moves in an arc whose radius of curvature is the distance between the crank pin and the axis of the shaft and the point 67 moves in an arc whose radius of curvature is the length of-the link 68. When the crank pin 71 is in its lowest position (corresponding to the lower limit of the needle stroke), and is moving through the portions of path which are but slightly clined to the lever bar 65, the lever. will receive a longitudinal movement and at the same time a slight oscillatory movement. Since the crank pin 71 is moving on an arc of a shorter radius of curvature than the fulcrum point 67, the component of the movement of the crank pin 71 at right angles to the lever bar will be greater than the component of movement of the point 67 at right angles to the 50 lever bar. Hence, when the crank pin 71 is moving in the neighborhood of its lowest position, the oint 66 will be moved in a curved path w hich is nearly horizontal, and which is convex upwardly. The radii of i5 curvature of the paths of the crank pin and point 67 are so proportioned, and the crank pin and point 67 are so spaced on the lever 65, that the curve through which the point 66 is moved will have a center substantially no coincident with the point 60, so that when the crank pin is moving. through its lowest position the point 66 will be swung around the center 60 and the driving shaft will im part no appreciable amount of motion to the o5 needle. This arrangement causesthe conits necting point 66 which is continuously moved by the rotation of the driving shaft to have a portion of its path of movement at right angles to the axis'of the link 62, the thrust along the axis of this link being the only component of the movement of the connecting point 66 which is effective in moving the needle bar. The needle is thus caused to dwell orremain practically stationary while its hook is being threaded by the thread handling mechanism in the shoe supporting horn. When the crank pin 71 is near its uppermost position (corresponding to the upward limit of the needle stroke) and moving substantially parallel to the lever bar 65, another dwell will be caused in the needle motion. The relative movements of the points 66, 67 and crank pin 71 is such that the length of this dwell is a great deal shorter than that of the dwell while the needle is being threaded, since the dwell at the upper limit of the needle stroke is not absolutely essential, but is, however, desirable in cansing the needle to hold the upwardly drawn stitch loop under tension for a short time.

By suitably laying out the paths of movement of the points 66, 67 and crank pin 71, the lengths of the dwell imparted to the needle at each extremity of its stroke may be varied within certain limits.

the needle has no appreciable movement for about 100 of the rotation of the machine shaft when the needle is at the downward limit of its stroke, and the needle has no appreciable movement for about 10 of the rotation of the machine shaft when it is at the upper limit ofits stroke.

Referring more particularly to the diagrammatic views in Figs.- 3 and 4, it will be seen that when the needle bar is in its lowermost position'as' illustrated in Fig. 3, the pivotal points or centers 50 and 5a are coaxial. The position of the presser foot when a comparatively thin piece of work 73 is being sewn is shown in fulllines in Fig. 3, while the position of the parts when a comparatively thick pieceof work 74 is being sewn is indicated by dotted lines. Since the centers 50 and 5% are co=axial, any motion of the presser bar which turns the bell crank lever 53 about the center 54: will merely turn the link 51 about the co-axial center 50 and will not afi'ect the position of the needle. Thus at its lowermost position the needle will be unaflected by the position of the presser bar and the needle will always have a fixed downwardlimit for its work penetrating stroke independently of the thickness of the work. When, however, the needle bar is raised from its lowermost position, since the position of the point 60 is constrained to move in an arc about the With the 5 arrangement of these parts as illustrated,

relative positions of the parts when the needle bar is raised are illustrated diagram-- ter 50 and turn the lever 49 about the point 60 to raise the needle bar. It will thus be seen that the uppermost position of the needle is variable according to the position of the presser foot. In the foregoing de-- scriptionthe movement ofthe needle'in response to the movement -of the presser foot has been shown,-it being assumed for the purpose of clearness of description that the chainJof needle-actuating mechanism con nected to the crank pin 71 was not being moved.-

If the presser foot is stationary and the needle mechanism is moved by the crank pin 71, it is apparent that the "downward movement of the needle stroke will be the same whatever the position of the presser foot may be, since at the downward limitof the needle stroke the configuration of the parts is such that the center 50 will always be moved into a co-axial relation with the center 54. When, however, the needle is moved up from its lowermost position, the distance ofits upward movement will be dependent on the position of the presser foot.

Since the point 60 at which the power is applied to the lever 49 is constrained to move in the arc of a circle about 63, and the fulcrum point 50 of the lever 49 is hung by the link 51 to swing about the pivot pin 52, it will be apparent that the amount of motion imparted by the power delivering end of the lever 49 to the needle bar will be dependent upon the relative movements of the point 60 at which the power is applied and the swinging fulcrum '50. When the presser foot is on a comparatively thin piece of work and the point 60 is moved downwardly, the fulcrum 50 will swing downwardly and to' the right about the pivot 52 and the needle bar will be raised to the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. 4. When,

however, the resser foot is engaging a thicker piece of work, the pivot point 52 assumes a higher position and one nearer to the arc of movement of the point 60, so that when the point 60 is moved downwardly the fulcrum point 50 is constrained to swing less in a downward and more in a horizontal direction, and moves in a path more nearly at right angles to the path of the point 60 and the component of the motion of the fulcrum 50 which is parallel to the direction of movement of the point 60 is less than when thepresser foot is upon a thin piece of work,

and the power delivering end of the lever 49 will impart a higher lifting stroke. to the needle bar, 'as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 4.

While the points 50 and 60 are illustrated in the-preferred construction as being constrained in their movement by means of pivoted links, it is evident that such constrained movement might be otherwise provided.

The relative arrangement of the centers in the link-work is preferably such that the needle will always move the same distance from the upper surface of the work, the added amount of movement given to the stroke of the needle being equal to the added thickness of the work being sewn. In practice it is often found desirable to have the loop drawn up by the needle increased in length slightly more than the increase in thickness of the .WOIk. Such provision for causing the needle to draw up a loop whose added length is increased more rapidly than the increase in thickness of the work may be readily had by slightly changing the proportions of the lever 53 to change the posia tion of the point 52 about the pivot 54.

The cast-01f is slidably held in a longitudinal recess formed along the side of the needle bar and bears at its upper end a block 76. The block 76 extends across to the presser bar and has a spline formed upon one end which engages in a slot 77 out in the side of the presser bar. Apin 78 extends across this slot and is vertically adjustable in a slot 79 cut through the presser bar. The downward movement of the cast-off is limited by the engagement of the block 76 with the pin 78. The block 76-is bored to .slidably receive a rod 80 which bears upon its lower end a collar 81. The rod 80 is loosely receivedthrough a bore 82 in the collar 45 on the needle bar, and extends upwardly and slides freely through a bearing 83 in the machine frame. The upper end of the bar 80 is connected by twin links 84 to an arm 85 which is provided near its pivotal point 86 with a frictional device controlled by an adjustable spring87. This frictional device will keep the bar-80 from movement except as it is positively actuated. The bar 80 receives its movement from the collar 45 which strikes against two stop collars 88 and 89 adjustably secured to the rod respectively above and below the collar. A spring 90 acting between the stop collar 89 and the 'block- 76 keeps the-block 76 pressed down against the collar 81.

Whenthe'needle bar rises, the frictional deh vice holds down the bar 80 and causes the cast-off 75 to lagbehind the needle until the needle hook. is drawn beneath andis covered by the cast-off. The collar 45 then engages the stop 88 and the needle, and the castmfi are moved up together.- When the needle bar descends, the casflofi' is held upby the frictional device and the needle descends and enters the work with its hook freed from the cast-ofli'. After the needle has entered the work, the collar 45 engages the stop 89 and moves the rod 80 together with its collar 81 downwardly. Since the justed in the presser bar so that the cast-off shall come sufficiently close to the work to prevent the loop of the previously formed stitch from being drawn between the castoil and the 'work, but yet be kept from actual contact with the work, so that its end cannot be marred. by tacks in the work. If, however, it is desired that the cast-01f come into contact with the work, but be prevented from following the needle down into the work, the pin 78 can be adjusted to arrest the movement of the cast-ofi' as soon as it has come in contact with the work but prevent its penetration into the work. Since the presser foot 2. is in contact with the upper surface of the work, the position of the cast-off willalways be the same with relation to the surface of the work irrespective of its thickness- The operation of the various parts of the machine illustrated in the drawings and above described have been indicated in the description already given, and will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed is:

1. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, mechanism foractuating the needle comprising a. series of relatively movable parts pivotally connected to allow only a: relative turning movement between the connected. parts, a work support, a presser-foot, and a connection to said mechanism acting upon. a change in the relative I position of the presser foot and work support to change the angular relation of the paths of movementfiof the parts of said mechanism to varythe noedle stroke, substantially as described.

2. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, mechanism for actuating the needle comprising a series ofrelatively movable parts pivotally connected to allow only a relative turning movement between the connected parts, a work support, a pneser foot, and a connection to saidmechanism acting, upon a change in the relative position of the presser foot and work support, to change the relative paths of movement of the pivotal connections of said mechanism to vary the needle stroke, substantially as described:

3. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, mechanism for actuating the needle comprising a series of relatively movable levers and links pivotally connected to allow only a relative turning movement between the connected elements, a presser foot, a work support, and a connection to said mechanism acting, upon a change in the relative position of the presser foot and work support, to swing one end of one of said links about a center relatively movable with'relation to the pivot at the other end of the link but co-axial therewith at one limit of the needle stroke to vary the other limit of the needle stroke, substantially as described.

4. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, mechanism for actuating the needle comprising an oscillating arm, a lever pivotally mounted on said arm, a connection between one end of the lever and the needle, a link connected. to the other end of the lever, a support to which the link is pivotally connected, a presser foot, a work support, and a connection to the link support acting uppn a change in the relative position of-the presser foot and work support to move the link support to vary the needle stroke, substantially as described.

5. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, mechanism for actuating the needle comprising an oscillating arm, a lever pivotally mounted on said arm, a connection between one end of the lever and the needle, means engaging the ,other end of the lever to swing the lever on its pivot during the oscillation of the arm, and a presser foot and suitable connections acting upon a change in the position ofthe presser foot to vary the oscillation of the lever and thereby vary the needle stroke, substantially as described.

I 6. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, mechanism. for actuating the needle comprising an oscillating. arm, a member pivotally mounted on the arm to have only a turning movement relative thereto, a link support, a link pivotally connected at one end to said support and at the. other end to said member, a presser foot, a work support, and a connection to said link support operating upon a change in the relative osition of the work supp rt and presser oot to move the link supp rt and thereb change the-path of movement of the .pivota connection between the link and member towary the needle stroke, substantially as described.

7. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a "needle, mechanism for actuating the needle comprising a lever, a movable support forvthe lever, means for moving said support, a connection between one end of the lever and the needle, 2. link connected to the other end of the lever, a support for the link pivotally mounted upon a center co-axial with the pivotal connection between the lever and the link at one limit of the needle stroke, a presser foot, a work support, and a connection to the link support acting upon a change in the relative position of the presser foot and the work support to move the link support about its pivot and thereby vary the other limit of the needle stroke, substantially as described.

8. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, and mechanism for actuating the needle comprising a continuously rotating crank, a longitudinally moving and oscillating lever pivotally connected at one end to the crank, a link connected to the other end of the lever, connections between said link and the needle, and a swinging supporting link for the fulcrum of sai lever cooperating with the crank to move the lever during asubstantial portionof its revolution without imparting motion to the needle, substantially as described.

9. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, mechanism for actuating the needle comprising a continuously rotating crank, a longitudinally movin and oscillating lever pivotally connecte at one end to the crank, a swin ng supporting link for the fulcrum of the ever, an oscillating arm, a link connecting the lever and arm, a needleactuating lever pivotally mounted on the arm, a connection between one end of said actuating lever and the needle, a link connected to the other end of the needle actuating lever, a support for said last mentioned link, a presser foot, a work support, and a connection to said link support acting upon a change in the relative position of the work support and presser foot to move said support and thereby vary the needle stroke, substantially as described.

10. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a work support, a presser foot movable toward and from the work support, a needle on the same side of the work as the presser foot, a movable cast-off therefor, and a stop connected to the presser foot for causing the movement of the castoif toward the work to be arrested in a predetermined position with relation to the Work, substantially as described.

11. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, a cast-elf therefor adapted to be yieldably moved toward the surface of the work, and a limiting. stop controlled and positioned by the thickness of the work to arrest the movement of the castofi' at a predetermined position with relation to the work, substantially as described.

'EUGENE J. RAY. 

